So Close
by Sunny Sideways
Summary: Bill Weasley sits at his brother's hospital bedside, and he waits.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, or the related characters.

**Notes: **If you recognize this story, it's because I had posted it right after the sixth book came out, but after a lapse in usage, I got an e-mail that my previous account was deleted due to inactivity… so I am slowly but surely posting some old stories and writing new ones. This story becomes AU after the sixth book, as it was written before details about the seventh book were known. Thanks for reading, and constructive criticism is always welcome! _Sunny_

**So Close**

"Again, Ron?" Bill Weasley didn't know why he was smiling, but it felt a lot better than crying. He had made the rest of his family go home, only after being held down to swearing on everything that he would floo the second there was any change in the youngest Weasleys condition. But Charlie had insisted on staying, saying he was going to be there for his eldest brother, but even then Bill had made him go down to the magical cafeteria, and he was expected to be gone for at least twenty minutes. And despite all that, they all knew there wouldn't be a change. It had been three days without a change.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" He whispered softly, affectionately.

Bill leaned his elbow on his brothers' bed, trying not to flinch at his still form. Ronald Weasley had not once in his life been still. And now he looked like the life in him was gone.

"I don't know if I'm more scared that you won't wake up… or that you will and know you're alone." Bill felt the tears sting his eyes, "We've been here before. Here, this hospital, this place; but not really _here_. I don't know what you're going to do when you wake up and realize she's not here, but the thought terrifies me mate."

It was true. Hermione Granger was dead, and Ron had almost gone with her.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

"_No!" Ron jumped forward in a fools attempt to knock her to the side, but it was too late. The green light had struck just above her navel and Ron wasn't aware of the deafening silence that followed him. Nor was he aware of the pain spreading across his stomach from a dagger to his abdomen, and nor was he aware of a man dropping to his knees beside him._

"_No. No, Hermione. Don't-don't…"_

"_Ron," Bill Weasley pressed his palm against the wound on his brothers' stomach, "Ron, it's too late."_

_Ron snapped his head towards his brother; and his voice cracked as he spoke, "No! Don't say that, don't say it…" he turned his head back to his fiancée and his vision blurred, "You've never given up on anything in your life… don't give up now. Don't."_

"_Ron, listen to me." Bill grabbed his brothers face and the second they made eye contact Ron had started to sob, his breaths coming in short and clipped gasps for air, "Listen to me," he repeated, his voice shaking ever so slightly as he moved one hand to cup his brothers cheek wiping the odd mixture of tears, sweat and bloody harshly from under his eye, "You're hurt, Ron… Ron, I need you to breathe. Come on," he begged._

_Ron's eyes became wide with fear and Bill felt his heart drop._

"_No. No, no, no…" Bill grabbed his brother into a tight hug, keeping his palm pressed into his abdomen._

_Ron had officially stopped breathing._

"_Come on, Ron," the eldest Weasley son felt a tear fall down his nose, "It isn't even that bad. I gotcha Ron, I gotcha. I'm gonna take care of you. You gotta hang on. You have to."_

Bill rubbed his eyes with the base of his hands, "They said that you could wake up, but you weren't letting yourself. Ron, we need you here with us. Harry needs you, a lot. You and Hermione were… he just needs you because he doesn't have her."

Bill had apparated to St. Mungos without even realizing he had done it, but if he had waited just another couple minutes, Ron would be dead. But, a stab wound? Healers could patch that up in a heartbeat. It was the loss of blood, and, it was assumed, the heartbreak that put Ron in a self-induced coma. The rest of the lot had all gotten out surprisingly fairly unscathed, but Ginny was practically inconsolable over her best friend's death, and the only person who had been able to get through to her was, much to everyone's surprise, George; and he had been by her side ever since. Harry, however, wouldn't speak, and when he found out Ron wasn't waking up it just about pushed him over the edge.

"Listen to me, Ron. I know. I know that when you wake up, things will be different. But you know you're not alone. You haven't been, ever. In your whole bloody life: never. Mate, I remember in your first year when you first became friends with the famous Harry Potter, and mum was terrified. She knew he was a target for You-Know-Who, and she was terrified you would get hurt. And, sure enough, the first time I saw you after Christmas you were unconscious in the Hospital Wing… I swear you were there more then all your brothers put together."

"Sometimes I wish I was younger, then maybe I could've been there your first year, and I would have protected you to the point where you would've bloody killed me." Bill laughed quietly, running a hand over his face and leaning forward to rub his brothers' forehead, "And then your second year mum made Percy, Fred and George swear to her that they would protect you and Ginny no matter what the cost. But… I never had quite the fear then when little Ginny was taken. She was always the smallest, the quietest… Charlie, mum, dad and I sat in Professors Dumbledore's office for hours waiting on news and when Percy came racing in saying he couldn't find you either, I thought mum was going to collapse right there. I'm actually sure she would have if dad wasn't holding her up."

If someone had asked him why he was talking to his brother like he was sitting up and ready to respond, he wouldn't tell them the answer.

But he knew.

He knew that he's wanted to talk like everyone was listening for years.

"And in your third year we found out you were held hostage for Harry by Sirius Black, who we thought was a psycho criminal back then..." He paused, and then said thoughtfully, "I'm actually surprised you haven't actually given mum a heart attack yet. Between you, Fred and George I'd say she's pretty bloody close. But you got out of that fine, like you always did. And then fourth year… the Triwizard tournament. Charlie was in charge of the dragons so I came out to help him, and then I was the first to notice that you seemed to disappear during the second task. You and Hermione both. And then we realized what the task was, and it hit me like a ton of bricks," he looked away, nearly regretfully, "Of course you had to be the most important person to Harry."

"I'll never forget the summer after 5th year. After you were almost suffocated to death, and you had only told me that it made you claustrophobic. And then Fred and George locked you in that bathroom as a joke, claiming they only wanted to 'make you mad at them, so things would be normal again'. Bad timing, eh? I've never seen them look as guilty as they did when they realized what they did."

"But, 6th year was the worst out of all of them. Happy Birthday to you, eh mate?" he smirked, "That was the first time, ya know… the first time I honestly pictured my life without my pain-in-the-arse little brother." Bill shuddered violently, "Don't make it real, Ron. Do you hear me?" He prodded his little brothers' side with his index finger, "Don't you dare."

He leaned forward to say something else when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He leaned his head back and his eyes met Charlie's hollow ones.

"You okay?"

Bill nodded and stood, taking a cup of brew from the crook of Charlie's arm, "Thanks."

Charlie smiled slightly as his eyes gazed over to his youngest brother.

"No change."

Charlie frowned at the answer to the question he hadn't even asked yet, "Don't know what I was expecting." Truth be told, he was disappointed in his little brother. Maybe he didn't quite understand what Ron would go through, but how could he leave them here to worry about him? He sighed and conjured up a chair next to Bill, settling himself down for what he was sure would be another long night. The third long night in a row.

"Want some company?"

Both Bills head and Charlie's spun to the right to be met with two identical grinning faces.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, Billy!" Fred said, following it by clicking his tongue in mock disappointment.

"Always a pleasure!" George added.

Bill smiled at them as they walked around to the other side of Ron's bed, Fred taking the seat right next to Ron with George to his left. Bills' heart ached as he watched Fred lean over and brush Ron's hair off his forehead, showing the always well-hidden affectionate side both twins had towards their younger siblings.

"When was the last time it was just us?" Charlie smirked.

"It isn't all of us-" George started, but Bill cut him off.

"You just have to ruin the moment, don't you?"

"There was no moment," Fred said, grinning although he didn't tear his eyes from Ron's still body for a second.

"Can we make it all of us?"

Four heads turned towards the door of the magical hospital to see a young red head with glasses and curly hair leaning against the doorframe, looking like he was more uncomfortable then he had probably ever been in his life.

Fred cast him a steely glare and both he and George turned their heads away from him. Charlie, however, stood up and gave the other man a fierce hug. When they broke apart, Charlie nudged towards a chair identical to the one he sat in, but at the foot of Ron's bed, "Of course, Perce."

"How'd you know to come?" Fred asked. His voice wasn't rude, but it wasn't friendly either, although he didn't look at his older brother.

"I went home and mum said all four of you were here…"

"Did she make you come?"

"She said it'd be nice."

As Fred opened his mouth to retort, Bill held up his hand to silence him, "Alright, Fred. This isn't a bloody interrogation. We're a family, you know."

Fred looked into Bills eyes as if he had been accusing him, "I know."

Percy looked at Bill thankfully, although he didn't look like he was willing to put up much defense towards himself. He knew. He had let his family down. "Nobody told me," Percy's voice was quiet and broken; "I had to find out from Kingsley."

The other four conscious men in the room diverted their eyes in guilt, but Bill was the one to speak, "We hadn't been in contact with you for over a year. We figured you wouldn't care to know."

"He's still my little brother," Percy whispered.

Nobody knew what to say.

The five brothers sat in silence around the youngest one, waiting for someone else to break the awkward silence that had fallen upon the grown men.

Then, suddenly, the one with glasses stood up uneasily, "I'm gonna go get-"

"Sit down, Percy."

They watched as Percy silently obeyed his eldest brother, and when he ran a shaking hand through his hair he finally starting talking, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I left and that I said what I said to mum… and I'm sorry that I missed everything that I did, and… if I could have just been there with him…" he nudged towards Ron in the bed, but Bill fiercely shook his head, his long hair bouncing off his cheeks.

"I was there. It didn't help, it didn't bloody matter."

"You guys are both fools."

Four heads turned in shock to George, who had been unnaturally quiet for unnaturally long, "It's okay, Percy. We know. We're over it. You were being a stupid prat… whatever. And Bill, of course it helped, and bloody well at that. If it wasn't for you, Ron would be six feet under with his fiancé," George momentarily shuddered at his bluntness.

Percy, though, looked like he had been slapped in his face, "Wh… What?"

"…You didn't know?"

"No I didn't bloody know!" Percy's hard eyes seemed to soften considerably, and for a second Bill honestly thought he was going to start crying, "So, Hermione's really…?"

"As she'll ever be."

"Is that why Ron's doing this to himself?"

Charlie nodded, "I s'pose."

Bill leaned to the side and patted the back of Charlies head in a comforting manner, "Not much we can do until he wakes up, 'cept be here."

And that's what they intended to do.

"So… how's the Ministry, Perce?" Charlie asked, trying to spark a conversation but not missing the glare he received from both Fred and George. He was also beginning to regret his question when Percy looked like he was about to dive head first into a story.

But Percy, however thoughtful he seemed for a couple seconds, reduced to merely shrugging, "Cornelius Fudge practically went crazy over the war. But Harry saved the world like he was always going to, so what's the point?" He looked at the four similarly bewildered faces, "I don't care. I… I know I had a falling out with dad. I know I was a jerk, but my career meant so much to me. But that doesn't matter now. I know none of you saw me as more than a…"

"Pig-headed git?" Fred asked, although there was a slight play of a smile on his face.

"Arrogant arse?" George said simultaneously, giving Percy the same look as his twin.

Percy flinched visibly, "Er… yeah, that. But, it doesn't change the fact that I would feel exactly like all of you if Ron had…" he paused and looked from one face to the next face in despair, "If he had died."

"We know, Percy," Bill said, and then, desperate for a change of subject, turned his head to the twins with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "So, George. Someone tells me you have something with a certain Johnson…"

George snapped his head to Fred, who grinned proudly, and glared at him in a way that clearly said he wasn't supposed to tell anyone that he had let that slip. "Last time I tell you anything, prat," George muttered, craning his neck to his twin and slapping him upside the head, making Charlie and Bill both smirk. Percy, however, had a genuine smile on his face, glad for the change of subject and also for the slip of personal information that he hadn't shared with his brothers in quite a while.

"It's nothing," George murmured, looking down and suddenly becoming increasingly interested in his cuticles.

"'S not noth'n."

All five heads turned to their younger brother, whose eyes were fluttering open and whose voice had been groggy and almost completely incoherent. Immediately, everything about George and Angelina was forgotten as a look of complete relief spread over every face in the room except the youngest, which was, ironically, also the most worn.

"Ron… thank Godric," Charlie muttered, reaching out to touch Ron's hair. But he froze when Ron visibly flinched and more subtly moved away. Charlie slowly pulled his hand back away from his little brothers apologetic face.

George stood up, "I'll go get a Healer-"

But he was cut off at Ron's panicked eyes, "No! Please, I… not yet."

George nodded and silently sat down again.

"How're you feeling?" Bill asked as gently as he could manage despite the hopelessness growing in the pit of his stomach. He suddenly found himself almost wishing that Ron was still asleep. He had never thought of seeing Ron's reaction when he woke up. Being one of the ones there to watch him fall apart. He sighed when Ron just shrugged in response. Ron had seen and done more then all his older brothers, and that scared Bill half to death.

"So, it was real?" Ron's whispered voice didn't hide any of the pain that was written on the tears in his eyes, "Because if it wasn't, she'd… she be here," the near silent chuckle that left his lips tore his brothers apart.

"Ron, I'm so sorry," Charlie muttered affectionately, reaching out to try to touch Ron's shoulder again, slowly at first, but when Ron showed no signs of pulling away he grabbed it and squeezed comfortingly. Terrible, isn't it? When the only sense of comfort you can provide to someone you love so much is a mere touch of a shoulder.

"No," Ron's voice was hoarse, as if he had been screaming for hours just previously, "She was pregnant. A boy. It was going to be a boy," his voice cracked and the emotions began to seep through.

And it was at that moment that Bill Weasley saw every wall of all the occupants of the room collapse. Fred and Georges faces paled immediately; though Fred got up silently and moved to sit on the bed next to Ron. Charlie's head dropped into his hands, mourning the nephew he never knew of. Percy just sat and stared blankly as his two younger brothers on the bed.

But Bill tried to stay strong for them.

Just like he always had. Always would.

But even he couldn't stop the tears that burned hot against the back of his eyes.

"We were so close," Ron whispered, a tear falling down his long nose as Fred pulled him closer, putting a loose arm around Ron's shoulders as the younger wizard started to shake.

"To what?" Percy croaked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"To the end! To-to the end of the bloody war, to the beginning of-of…" but his voice trailed off as his head fell into his hands, sobs suddenly and violently racking through his body. Fred automatically laced his arms through Ron's and extended his hands behind him. With one hand rubbing his back and the other in his hair, Fred held his little brother with all the strength he could manage. In the fight to give Ron the comfort he needed, Fred hardly noticed the tears start to fall from his own eyes and into the mangled red hair beneath his chin.

Not even a joke could lighten the mood.

Bill watched as George took Fred's vacated seat and put his hand on the back of his twins' head, muttering something that Bill couldn't quite make out. Percy watched the scene unfold and felt like his own heart had fallen to his stomach. In just a matter of a few hours, Ron had lost everything he ever had. Everything. And though Percy had never been there to help before; he knew that what really mattered was that he was there now.

When Charlie lifted up his head, his face had tear streaks on it. He leaned over and joined in Fred's attempt to comfort the youngest Weasley boy by putting his hand on Ron's knee and rubbing small circles as he spoke with a voice he barely recognized as his own and made a promise he was sure they had to keep if there was any hope for Ron's future, "We're going to get you through this, Ron," he whispered, "I swear to you."

And at that moment Bill would have given anything to take all their pain away.

All his little brothers. All five of them sat before his eyes now with tears on their faces, and there was nothing he could do but sit and watch. And the youngest of them all. The one who had done more good than the whole family put together; the one who possibly deserved to go through this the very _least_ out of all of them had no life to go home to anymore.

A soon-to-be wife.

A just conceived child.

Both dead.

"He's right. There's nothing we won't do."

And as he watched Fred kiss the top of Ron's head, and he watched George and Charlie both bow their heads in silent agreement; as he watched Percy move to sit cross-legged on the bed in front of them, Bill Weasley knew that he had never promised anything more important to his family, and he would go through with the promise.

He had to.


End file.
